https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/grid-penalties-end-brawn-drs-947189/ Working on a proper way of getting cars to follow each other closely again, too! 2019 earliest for that....but I'll take it!
Why is it taking so long....good news but lets just change up and lock the wing shut I know its more complicated!!
Haha exactly. But with next years aero the same as this year, the races will be even more of a drag. The close following package has to be finalized by May 2018 (and if they haven't, I'll drive over to FIA headoffice and will bang some ****ing heads together)
Bas won't need help, he's a muscle mountain at 6'7! (Oh, and did I mention he's in adult entertainment hehehe! Before anyone chimes in. Me and Pete sing off will be there and film it)
I can't see the constructors giving up willingly years of aero R&D, but they may have to. DRS is like a bit of plaster on a wooden leg, but it allows some overtaking and apparently that's what the fans want. As for grid penalties, they affect the driver more than the team, IMO. Since I cannot make sense of limiting the number if components during a season in a series that claims to be the "pinnacle of motor sport", I think the issue should never have come about anyway - just like the ban on testing. The teams should use as many engines and gearboxes as they need, and test as much as they want without any restriction.
Grid penalties and limits are stupid. Remember when drivers were allowed to run and get into spare car after 1st lap accident?
No kidding, but at least it is road car relevant (I could not possibly care less). Brawn and new owners seem to be taking F1 in the right direction, but watch the FIA screw it up.
All well and good. These things (testing ban and component limits) were put in place primarily to contain costs. And they've failed in achieving this objective. But in order to eliminate these measures, they will need to come up with some other (effective) approaches to contain costs, otherwise everyone is going to leave.
Ross Brawn might save this sport. Now get rid of these garbage engines, bring back testing and lets go racing.
I am a little concerned. Are they saying they want to actually have racing? In F1? Who'd watch that? Seriously... why is this such a big deal? It shows just how far out of touch they've become. Stop developing and optimizing cars and regulations that make race cars run by themselves... genius! Too bad this will all take years to put into place. It's no different then the stupid shark fins and TV antennas that are on the car now. No one liked it or wanted it when practice started... yet they wait a year to remove it. Stupid. The ONLY reason i'm okay with DRS is because it's the ONLY way we can get a pass now and then between the top contenders. How dumb is it that Lewis or Seb or Max have to start 5 places back because Kyvat rear ended one of them and ruined their gearbox? Fix the formula. A smart race engine should cost 25% of what it does now and be a 100 times more reliable. Remove the stupid gearbox limits then. Good Lord! It's not that complicated!
The grid penalties I agree with. They do nothing to save costs. But the problem is all the aero stuff. No matter how you regulate it, someone else will find a way (as McLaren did with the original F duct which eventually led to DRS). Remember Ferrari's "flexible" front wing? What they really need is a new engine formula to get other manufactures to make engines (Porsche, BMW, Ford, Kia, etc). That to me is the biggest problem they face today. What would be great is the return of the small teams innovating while being able to afford one of several PU's of their choice. Its impossible like a team like Williams to win today. It wasn't always that way. And I would BAN all wind tunnel testing in favor of unlimited real world track testing. Bigger teams have too much of an advantage in this area over the smaller teams.
Containing costs may sound like a good idea, but in practice it's unrealistic. For a start, the teams operate in different countries, so the labour costs, the taxation, the price of manufactured goods, the machinery vary from one place to another. Sauber lives in a very expensive country, so it's costs will always be higher than if it was located in, say France or Italy, I guess. Machining costs will be vastly different for Haas ( machine tool manufacturer) compared to Force India that subcontracts most of its machining, for example. Also, when you limit costs in one area like engines and gearbox, the money is spent somewhere else. The ban on testing has led to an escalade in simulator technology, etc... So, try to limit cost is just a red herring; it just doesn't work. Trying to limit costs has not made the lesser teams nearer the front, and it has not emasculated the rich teams as intended. It's like harmonising costs in different countries that are really disparate. Some will always have money to burn, so let's them do it!
Significantly decrease downforce, decrease friction brake size, increase mechanical grip, increase drag (they did both of these with the wider tires - a step in the right direction), increase HP, create more definitive track limits that penalize overstepping the boundary (1 car width of low friction asphalt behind exit curb?), provide reasonable testing opportunities for all teams and drivers, especially the teams Jr drivers. (Monday after each event on a permanent circuit?), stop with fuel flow rate limits, but provide a fixed BTU limit of fuel and let them work out how and when to use it. Open up alternatives to the current engine configuration and fuel type. The result with be cars that can get close to each other and pass without artificial assistance, can out brake in braking zone, accelerate well and must be driven with precision. Downforce has no direct commercial manufacturer application, yet massive resources are used for computational fluid dynamics.
Why don't the FIA just mandate a simple standardised front wing for all teams. The ridiculous designs they have today make no sense, are totally over engineered and are directly responsible for the inability to follow the car in front. Getting rid of penalties and drs are great ideas too.
Good idea. Standardised front wings just like the tyres. Ban wind tunnels and sanction real testing at Barcelona and Silverstone all year long.
But even with these limitations, you will find some teams employing 1200 staff, and others just 200. The teams who can afford it, will always find a way to spend money.
